Ohio Guard major accused of child sex crimes

Jul. 16, 2013 - 07:54PM
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MARYSVILLE, OHIO — A National Guard major who has said he wanted to adopt a girl from Africa to protect her from rape has been indicted on charges he sexually abused three children, including two of his own.

A grand jury in central Ohio indicted the Marysville man on Monday on charges of rape, sexual battery and gross sexual imposition between 2006 and 2012. The 17-count indictment says heís the father of two of the children but doesnít give his relationship with the third.

The Associated Press isnít naming the 40-year-old man to protect the childrenís identities.

The man arrived in Kuwait at the end of June for a one-year deployment, Ohio National Guard spokesman James Sims said on Tuesday. The man, who was working as a medical operations officer with the 371st Sustainment Brigade, has been released from duty and is ďbeing sent back to the United States,Ē Sims said.

In a 2008 story in a military publication, the man spoke about his large family and about wanting to adopt a girl to protect her from sexual assault.

Of the three children cited in the indictment, two are in foster care; the third is with her father, who is not the National Guard major.

Up to 11 children lived with the man and his spouse in Marysville, a city of 22,000 residents northwest of Columbus, Marysville Police Department records show.

Police helped with the removal of 11 children from the house last August, according to a police report. Another report shows that three days later police received a report from the countyís Children Protective Services division alleging that someone living at the same address as the couple had been sexually abused.

Multiple attempts to reach the man and his spouse by calling them, emailing them and knocking on their door on Tuesday were unsuccessful. Court records donít list an attorney for either. They are scheduled to be arraigned in court Aug. 1.

The manís indictment includes one count of intimidation of an attorney, victim or witness in a criminal case. A Union County grand jury also indicted the manís spouse, a 35-year-old woman, with two counts of that charge and an additional count of obstructing justice.

The intimidation and obstructing justice charges stem from the couple having intentionally sent one of the children out of the state after the child, whoís not one of the victims listed in the indictment, had reported some information, Union County prosecutor David Phillips said. Phillips would not elaborate on the type of information or say to whom it was reported, and he declined to comment on any details of the abuse allegations.

The prosecutorís office said two or three children who were not victims of abuse continue to live with the manís spouse.